The present invention is directed to a chemical or processing solution delivery system, which may be used in a photographic processor.
Photographic processors come in a variety of shapes and sizes from large wholesale photographic processors to small micro-labs. As photographic processors become more and more technologically sophisticated, there is a continued need to make the photographic processor as user-friendly and as maintenance-free as possible.
Currently available photographic processors have one or more of the following shortcomings: (1) the film processing time is relatively high; (2) some photographic processor, because of their size, require a large amount of space; (3) some photographic processors may require an unacceptable amount of developing solution due to the design of the processing tank; and (4) some photographic processors generate an unacceptable amount of developing solution waste due to the design of the processing tank.
One component of photographic processors is a chemical or processing solution delivery system, which provides processing fluids for processing a roll of photographic film. Some conventional chemical delivery systems have one or more of the following shortcomings: (1) the chemical delivery time is unacceptably high due to (a) a processing fluid dilution step, (b) undesirably long heating times, (c) low volumetric flow into or out of the processing drum or reactor, or (d) a combination thereof; (2) some chemical delivery systems, because of their size, require a large amount of space; (3) some chemical delivery systems require an external water source to dilute the concentration of the chemicals used in the chemical delivery system; and (4) some chemical delivery systems require a drain for removal of the processing fluids from the processor.
What is needed in the art is a chemical delivery system, which (a) provides exceptional processing speed, and (b) does not require an external water source. What is also needed in the art is a chemical delivery system, which may be used in a variety of photographic processors, and is capable of minimizing (a) the amount of space needed for operation, and (b) the amount of waste generated during the photographic process.
The present invention addresses some of the difficulties and problems discussed above by the discovery of a novel, chemical or processing solution delivery system for use in a photographic processor. The chemical delivery system provides numerous advantages over conventional chemical delivery systems including, but not limited to, (a) the ability to use xe2x80x9cprocessing strengthxe2x80x9d chemicals, as oppose to concentrated chemicals, which must be diluted prior to use; (b) improved heating cycles due to a chemical heating chamber design; and (c) the ability to operate without an external water source for dilution of processing chemicals.
Further, the chemical delivery system of the present invention minimizes the amount of time needed to chemically process a roll of film. The chemical delivery system of the present invention is extremely user-friendly and requires very little maintenance.
The chemical delivery system of the present invention comprises one or more of the following components: a chemical storage reservoir, a heating assembly, and a chemical waste reservoir. One or more flow meters may be used, for example, (a) between the chemical storage reservoir and the heating assembly; or (b) between the heating chamber and a processor drum or reactor. A series of pumps and/or suction devices may be used in the chemical delivery system of the present invention to transfer a processing fluid from one location to another location within the system, for example, from a processor drum or reactor to a chemical waste reservoir.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a chemical delivery system, which may be used in a photographic processor. The present invention is further directed to a process of delivering chemicals to a photographic processor using the chemical delivery system.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a review of the following detailed description of the disclosed embodiments and the appended claims.